Skin contacting products such as body wearable collection devices are formed of material(s) having certain known characteristics. If the collection device comprises a body waste collection pouch, these characteristics include the ability to receive and hold human body wastes of the type experienced in ostomy, continence and wound care for a determinable period of time while also typically serving as a satisfactory gas and odor barrier. Furthermore, it is desirable to form such skin contacting products of a material that has low noise characteristics so they remain relatively indiscernible during use.
For this purpose, there are commercially available films which are highly effective in many respects. These films are useful in devices generally capable of receiving and holding human body waste material and, if desired, also providing the requisite gas and odor barrier characteristics. However, the commercially available films are still often less than desirable in terms of certain other important characteristics.
In particular, films which are currently available are sometimes unacceptable as to “hand” or “feel”. They have a tendency to stick against the body in hot or humid conditions and/or after showering, which is generally known to cause discomfort to the user of skin contacting products. Further, commercially available films have a tendency to produce an undesirable crinkling noise during movement.
To counteract these problems, it has heretofore been proposed to cover the film with a non-woven or other fibrous layer which is thermally secured to the surface of the film. It has been suggested that this covering arrangement will achieve sound-deadening as well as a better “hand” or “feel”. However, by thermally securing the non-woven or other fibrous layer to the film, it has been found that the fibers of the non-woven or other fibrous layer become embedded within the film.
In a perhaps more accurate description, the interstices of the non-woven or other fibrous layer are filled with melted and solidified film material as a result of the thermal bonding process.
Unfortunately, thermally embedding fibers within the film has resulted in no significant noise reduction. The normal body movements of the user are found to still cause an undesirable crinkling noise. In addition, the non-woven or other fibrous layer adds comfort to the user but can snag on clothing at times.
In some instances, a non-woven or other fibrous layer is peripherally attached to the edges of a skin contacting product such as a body wearable collection device. This, too, serves to provide more comfort to the user, but it does not appreciably serve to reduce noise during user movement. Furthermore, previous attempts to overcome these problems have failed to overcome still other shortcomings that render such skin contacting products less than fully desirable to the user.
In particular, it is important for a body wearable collection device to greatly limit the degree of water cling following a shower. The previous attempts to thermally bond a non-woven or other fibrous layer to a film have failed to satisfy this particular characteristic. Additionally, a body wearable collection device should be manufactured of materials and with processes that are commercially desirable.
In the past, and by way of example, ostomy grade barrier films which meet the essential characteristics for ostomy have been expensive meaning that the cost of ostomy pouches to the user is high. While there are other commercially available films widely used in many other industries, they have typically been viewed as failing to exhibit characteristics essential for ostomy.
In addition to ostomy, it will be understood that similar problems are encountered with many different types of skin contacting products such as body wearable collection devices provided to receive urine, fecal matter, exudates and other liquid or flowable materials, as well as other types of skin contacting products provided to deliver liquid or flowable materials where noise reduction, comfort and/or limited water cling are important criteria.
For the foregoing reasons, it has remained to provide an entirely satisfactory laminated material that can advantageously be manufactured from many different commercially available films while exhibiting the foregoing desirable characteristics.